Trigeminal nociceptors: Neural intersection of chronic pain and alveolar bone remodeling

口腔面部组织由伤害性初级传入(或伤害性感受器)丰富地支配。伤害性感受器传递 疼痛信号进入大脑，对有害刺激作出反应。伤害性感受器也错综复杂地调节脑组织的动态平衡 通过控制宿主反应来支配组织。在受伤或感染下，功能失调的伤害性感受器会导致 病理性慢性疼痛的发展和病变组织的异常破坏性反应。Dr。 Chung独特的R35项目解决了三叉神经伤害性感受器在口腔两个基本区域的双重作用 健康。钟博士是一名牙医科学家，他的职业生涯致力于颅面神经科学研究。 专注于三叉神经伤害性感受器。他将继续他正在进行的颅面疼痛研究，通过测试 假设伤害性传入的长期沉默是止痛的，并且其效果足以 逆转与慢性疼痛相关的脑区适应不良的神经可塑性改变。此外，钟博士 正在重新审视他对牙齿相关神经生物学的长期兴趣，并将研究神经免疫和 牙槽骨破坏和重塑的神经骨骼调节机制。他假设 伤害性传入调节牙周感染或正畸力作用下的牙周宿主反应 控制牙槽骨的病理生理改建。钟博士在这些领域的研究旨在 慢性疼痛和牙槽骨改建的机制及其与三叉神经的交叉 痛觉感受器。预期的结果可能会产生重大影响，不仅是在阐明基本的 机制，也在翻译领域，包括开发新的方法来控制慢性疼痛和 通过调节伤害性传入或伤害性感受器丰富的分子来调节牙槽骨重建。

Orofacial tissues are richly innervated by nociceptive primary afferents (or nociceptors). Nociceptors transmit pain signals into brain in response to harmful stimuli. Nociceptors also intricately regulate homeostasis of innervated tissues by controlling host responses. Under injury or infection, dysfunctional nociceptors lead to the development of pathological chronic pain and abnormal destructive responses of affected tissues. Dr. Chung’s unique R35 program addresses dual roles of trigeminal nociceptors in two fundamental areas in oral health. Dr. Chung is a dentist scientist, who has devoted his career to craniofacial neuroscience research focused on trigeminal nociceptors. He will continue his ongoing craniofacial pain studies by testing the hypothesis that long-term silencing of nociceptive afferents is analgesic, and that the effects are sufficient to reverse maladaptive neuroplastic changes of brain regions associated with chronic pain. Moreover, Dr. Chung is revisiting his long-term interest in tooth-related neurobiology, and will investigate the neuroimmune and neuroskeletal regulatory mechanisms of alveolar bone destruction and remodeling. He hypothesizes that nociceptive afferents regulate periodontal host responses under periodontal infection or orthodontic force to control pathophysiological remodeling of alveolar bone. Dr. Chung’s research in these areas is aimed at elucidating the mechanisms of chronic pain and alveolar bone remodeling, and their intersection with trigeminal nociceptors. The anticipated outcomes will likely have significant impact, not only in elucidating basic mechanisms but also in translational areas including development of novel methods to control chronic pain and alveolar bone remodeling by regulating nociceptive afferents or nociceptor-enriched molecules.